The Girl with the Book
by Loulabelle
Summary: Edward's life is routine and boring, but he's content with his lot in life. That is until he sees a girl in the park and he can't look away. Entry for the Pick a Pic contest.


**Pick A Pic Challenge **

**Title:** The Girl with the Book

**Penname:** Loulabelle

**Banner:** #87

**Rating/Disclaimer:** Twilight and all its characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I just play with them.

**Summary: **Edward's life is routine and boring, but he's content with his lot in life. That is until he sees a girl in the park and he can't look away.

**Contest entries can be viewed at www .fanfiction-challenges. blogspot. com**

**The banner I have chosen can be viewed at .com/albums/pp69/ms_ambrosia/pick_a_**

Thank you to mizzdee for beta-ing this for me. She is amazing :)

* * *

Class. Study. Work. Study some more. Nap.

That was the never-ending loop I'd been stuck in for two years now. My pre-med college classes were currently kicking my ass. It was after one absolutely brutal anatomy lab when I first saw her. All I wanted to do was go home and scrub myself to get the formaldehyde stench off my skin, but something about her made me stop. I'd never believed in the clichéd 'love at first sight' but I couldn't deny the immediate pull I felt towards her.

She was sitting under one of the large oak trees in the park across from the pre-med laboratory building. I was almost one hundred percent certain that they built the labs straight across from the park to taunt all the pale, miserable students, slaving away inside.

She was dressed just like most of the college students wandering around between classes, just a simple T-shirt and jeans. The sun filtering through the branches highlighted the streaks of red in her long auburn hair which covered most of her face as she sat slightly hunched over something in her lap. On closer inspection I discovered the book. .

I didn't realise I'd stopped walking until my lab partner, Ben, ran straight into the back of me whilst trying to have a conversation with his girlfriend, Angela. I couldn't believe I'd actually stopped in the doorway.

"Christ, Cullen. What are you standing there for?" He yelled, almost falling to the floor.

"Sorry, I... uh... Sorry." Was all I managed as I attempted to keep myself upright.

"No problems, Ed. Just be careful next time." He laughed. "Are you going to be at the library later?"

What kind of a question was that? Of course I was going to be at the library later. I had a Biochemistry test to study for. "Yeah I'll be there." I answered vaguely, still not taking my eyes off the girl with the book. I was waiting for her to look up.

"Edward?" Ben snapped his fingers in front of my face to get my attention. "Are you listening to me?"

_No_, I thought.

"Yes."

"So you agree that we should get married and that we should raise monkeys instead of children?" he asked, Angela was laughing quietly by his side.

"What?" I yelped, taken aback by the strange turn of the conversation.

Ben just laughed at me. "I said I might join you later to study. Angela and I are going to get some lunch."

"Okay." I was back to not paying attention. 'Book Girl' was now digging through the bag at her side. After a few moments she pulled out a cell phone and held it to her ear.

I wanted to be that phone.

_Snap out of it Edward, she's just a girl._ My consciousness yelled at me.

"Alright Edward, I'll see you later." Ben said, obviously he'd given up on talking to me. I gave him a half hearted wave goodbye.

I spent another few minutes watching the girl, indulging my inner psycho, before she started to pack her belongings away. Her hair was still covering her face so I never got a chance to get a proper look at her. I did notice that she seemed a little awkward walking through the park though, her shoulders tense and her posture rather rigid.

Maybe she knew someone was watching her.

My phone beeped loudly in my pocket, scaring me back into the present. I was too preoccupied to check the caller ID so I simply answered with a distracted 'Hello?', my eyes following her movements.

"_There is a sale on at Marc Jacobs._" My sister's voice hissed through the phone. "_And you know why I'm not there? Because I'm waiting for YOU! Where the hell are you?"_ She barked.

"What?" I looked down at my watch. I was supposed to meet her at the library fifteen minutes ago to return her design textbook which she had left at my apartment. "Oh, sorry Alice, I'll be there in a few."

"_Hurry up_." She growled before hanging up on me.

By the time I'd hung up, the girl with the book was gone. This left me slightly upset as I walked to the library to meet my sister. I found her pacing back and forth at the base of the library steps while her boyfriend, Jasper, sat there reading a book.

"Hey, I'm here. Sorry." I apologised, pulling my sister to a stop. She just glared at me with her bottom lip sticking out. "I really am. I got caught up." I pulled the textbook out of my bag and handed it over, giving her my best 'forgive me' smile.

"You're late." She growled, although I could tell by the look in her eyes I was already forgiven. "You're never late."

"Give the man a break, Alice." Jasper laughed, tucking his book and hers into his bag.

"Okay, well we need to go or all the good clothes and bags will be gone," she squealed, jumping up and giving me a hug before tugging Jasper over to his car in the lot.

"I'll call mum and dad and let them know where you are, so they don't go into shock when they get your credit card bill." I called after her, earning myself 'the finger' as she climbed into the car.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in the library, buried under a pile of reference books. However, I was disappointed in my lack of focus and I couldn't understand why I wasn't making any progress. My textbook was open in front of me, displaying a huge diagram of the citric acid cycle but my notebook contained only a few sentences. Most of which were too vague to make any sense.

I kept looking at the diagram and focusing for a few minutes then before I knew it my thoughts were travelling back to focus on the elusive girl in the park. It was so frustrating

I couldn't have spent more than twenty minutes watching her. Although now that I think of it twenty minutes is a long time to be staring at a girl. She hadn't done anything but sit there and read, but she still managed to capture my undivided and unwavering attention, even hours after she'd left my sight.

There was just something about her.

Ben and Angela joined me some time later and I found I was able to focus a little more with the company. By the time we returned home I had several good pages of revision notes ready for the following morning. Yet even with all the equations and facts swimming through my brain, 'Book Girl' was still the last thing I thought of before I fell asleep that night.

**~TGWTB~**

The days continued to pass in much the same way as before only now there was a new factor to consider.

Class. Watch 'Book Girl'. Study. Work. Think about 'Book Girl'. Study some more .Nap.

Technically I didn't need my job, since my parents were generous enough to offer to pay my tuition and I had scholarships to cover other expenses but I liked to work anyway. It gave me a sense of achievement, knowing that I was making my own way in the world and not just sponging off my parents. Sure, when you think about it all I did was spend a few hours a day frothing milk and pouring coffee, but it gave me a break from my studies and the steady repetition left me with plenty of time to think. And over the past four days, my thoughts had been focused on 'Book Girl'.

Every day I would make some excuse to walk past the laboratory block, and every day so far I had been delighted to find her sitting under the oak tree reading her book. On Tuesday she had her hair pulled up on top of her head and she was wearing a delicate blue blouse that complemented her creamy skin. Wednesday she had her hair down again, hiding her face, a lumpy brown sweater protecting her from the slight chill in the air. And when I stopped by before work today she was sitting in her usual spot, hair pulled into two braids which fell over her shoulders, wearing a shirt that said "Also, I can kill you with my mind".

Normally I wouldn't notice these sorts of things in a girl.

Normally I wouldn't notice the girl at all. But with 'Book Girl' I felt as though I needed to know her. She was the one thing I was certain I could never have but I wanted so desperately. If only I could work up the courage to talk to her.

Three days of watching, as the strange pull I had felt towards the girl under the tree had developed into a full blown obsession. Three days and I still hadn't worked up the courage to talk to her. I wanted to talk to her - I truly did - but I wasn't the kind of guy who could just walk up to a girl and strike up a conversation. I wasn't that confident.

A scalding pain in my hand pulled me back to the present. I'd burned the milk for the second time today and it had bubbled over and was running over my wrist.

"OW!" I yelped in pain and dropped the container, sending spoiled milk flying everywhere.

_Pull it together Edward._ I scolded myself as I started to mop up the mess I had created.

I could feel people staring at me but I just ignored them and went back to my work, serving a new cup of coffee to some faceless customer.

As soon as the clock ticked over to six o'clock I was out the door and on my way home. My wrist was an angry shade of red but I ignored the pain and went about my evening routine as usual. After a quick shower and change of clothes, I took some leftovers out of the fridge and set myself up on the couch.

Tomorrow I was going to go and talk to her.

The worst she could do was turn me down.

**~TGWTB~**

I felt like the biggest idiot, as I stood at the edge of the parking lot, trying to work up the courage to approach the 'Book Girl'. I'd been working myself up throughout the morning, thinking of exactly what I was going to say to her. I knew if I just tried to 'wing it' then I'd end up looking stupid, so I practiced. I even had notes written on my palm in case I forgot something. Sadly those notes were slowly being rubbed off as I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans.

_Deep breath Edward. Just walk over and talk to her. You can do this._

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders before walking over to where she was sitting. Once I was standing a few feet away from her, I stopped. I almost considered turning back around but before I could move she looked up from her book and I was frozen. She was even more beautiful close up. With her creamy complexion and her big, deep brown eyes which were now boring into mine.

My brain seemed to disconnect from my body for a moment. All the brilliant opening lines I had thought up the night before just flew out window. So when I opened my mouth "Hi" was all that came out.

She smiled shyly, her cheeks flushing red, but she didn't say anything. This completely threw me off. I was expecting at least a "hello" in response so I could keep moving along with my scripted conversation.

_God, you are such a nerd Edward._ My brain reproached me. _Say something._

"I... Uh... I'm Edward."

She looked slightly confused and even a little wary. Not that I blame her, my nerves were completely screwing up my plan and I looked like a complete idiot.

This was not going well.

"Um... I..." I panicked. I couldn't think of anything else to say to her. "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone." I mumbled, turning to walk away.

"Wait." I heard a soft, soprano voice call out from behind me. "Come back."

I gulped nervously and turned to find 'Book Girl' pushing herself to her feet, her book laying flat on the ground next to her. She held her hand out towards me. "I'm Bella."

I think I nearly died at that moment.

She was talking to me.

I couldn't believe it.

"E... E... Edward." I stuttered, taking her hand in mine. It was so small and warm, and it just felt right inside of mine. My staring must have been making her uncomfortable because she blushed again and dropped her hand. We spent a few more moments standing there in the midst of an awkward silence, neither of us knowing exactly what to do next.

"Do you want to sit?" she asked shyly, gesturing to the grassy area just next to her bag.

"Okay." Finally, I'd managed to say something without stuttering.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" She turned to study my face. "I'm sorry but you don't really look familiar." There seemed to be a slightly guilty undertone to her voice.

"I don't think so," I mumbled. "I've just seen you sitting here and wanted to come and say 'hi'. So... uh... Hi." _Could you be any more idiotic?_ My brain was taunting me again.

"Oh... Alright then." She gave me a small smile.

I couldn't quite figure out whether this was more or less awkward than I anticipated it being, but we were actually having a conversation. Admittedly it was a mildly disjointed one but it was a conversation nonetheless.

"So... What do you do Bella?" Fallback question number five.

"Well I'm an Arts student but I work part-time as well. I'm on my lunchbreak right now." Her willingness to simply share this information with me, a total stranger, astounded me. "What about you, Edward?"

"I'm pre-med-" She let out a low whistle, stopping me from saying anything else.

"Sorry." She blushed again when she realized she's cut me off.

"No that's fine. I'm not that interesting anyway." I joked, letting out an awkward laugh.

"No, really I'm sorry. I've just never been able to comprehend how you guys manage to understand all that science stuff and not have your heads explode. I took biology in high school and I only just scraped through. So... Well done you." Her rambling was absolutely adorable.

We spent the next half hour talking and getting to know each other, and the awkward feeling soon disappeared. I'd never felt this at ease with any woman, other than my female family members and Angela – who was practically my sister anyway.

Bella was an amazing girl. She claimed that she didn't understand any of the science concepts I had to learn but she was still incredibly smart. She was eloquent and opinionated. I could tell she was shy by nature but she seemed to overcome that side of herself while talking to me. Not only was that an incredible ego boost for me but it made me feel like I really had a chance with her. She didn't see me as some gawky nerd, to her I was 'smart and interesting' – her words not mine. Our encounter had elevated my level of self confidence to a point where I felt I could safely ask her out without too much worry of rejection. Or at least that was what I was telling myself.

Another deep breath.

"So would you-" Her phone rang loudly, cutting me off.

"I'm so sorry." She apologized as she pulled her phone out of her bag. "I need to take this... Hey Jake... No I'm – Oh my god, I'm so sorry... I'll be there in five minutes." She quickly closed her phone and pulled her bag into her lap.

_No, no, no, no, no! _My brain screamed. She couldn't leave. I hadn't even asked her out for coffee yet.

"I'm so sorry Edward. I've completely lost track of time. I'm supposed to be back at work now." I leapt up from my seat and offered her my hand so she could get up.

"Well... uh..." Oh god the stammering was back.

"Thank you for coming over and saying 'hi', Edward. I might see you again soon." She gave me another timid smile before dashing off towards the parking lot.

I felt my shoulders slump as I watched her running away.

She was gone.

I tried to ignore the depressed feeling that was welling up inside of me as I turned to collect my bag and go home. There on the ground next to my bag was her book. I quickly scooped it up with my bag and turned to follow her, only to see her truck pulling out of the lot.

_Well at least this gives you an excuse to see her again._ I thought excitedly. The depressed feeling subsided a little.

**~TGWTB~**

My weekend was spent flicking through the book she left behind and pretending to study, while in reality I was just day dreaming about Bella. I was ashamed to admit that I went to the park both days to see if she was there and both times I was disappointed to find that she was not.

I knew it was stupid but I couldn't help myself.

Monday I couldn't focus on my assignments and I ran out as soon as class was finished, to meet her under our tree.

She wasn't there.

I waited for two hours, but she never showed up.

She wasn't there on the Tuesday either, which caused me to start to worry.

What happened to her?

Where was she?

Did I scare her off?

Was she hurt?

_Come off it you idiot, you spoke to her ONCE. And it was only for half an hour. _My brain yelled at me.

_But we had a connection! _The hopelessly infatuated side yelled back.

I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes to help me try and clear my thoughts. I'd been sitting in the library for close to four hours, trying to study but only succeeding to work myself up, worrying about Bella. It wasn't until the words in my anatomy textbook actually started blurring on the page that I decided to give up for the night.

**~TGWTB~**

My eyes were closed and I was so comfortable. I didn't know where I was and frankly I didn't care, all I was focused on was the soft ground underneath me and the gentle pull of a hand through my hair. My lips automatically pulled up into a smile. It felt so nice.

As much as I didn't want to, I felt compelled to open my eyes.

And I wasn't disappointed.

There she was. The girl who had haunted my thoughts for the past five days and nights.

Bella.

I was in a patch of long grass, which cushioned my body as I lay there. Several small yellow flowers grew amongst the long green blades. The sun was shining high in the impossibly blue cloudless sky and casting a warm glow over us.

But no part of the picturesque setting could detract from the beauty that was lying next to me. She smiled down at me, her hand still sliding through my hair. Curls of her lustrous auburn hair were being pulled and twisted by a gentle wind as it swirled around us. All I could do was stare back, completely dumbfounded.

"You're... You..." I couldn't even form a full sentence.

Her voice was pure honey as it penetrated the strange awkward silence. "Hello Edward."

I blinked several times, trying to clear my thoughts. I couldn't believe she was actually here with me. As she watched me struggle to compose myself, her smile continued to grow but her hand stopped moving through my hair. It wasn't until she started to stand that I realized I had yet to form a single, coherent sentence.

"Wait!" I choked out as she turned to collect something from the ground. "Don't leave."

She turned back to me, a small blue covered book in her hands, and laughed. The soft, gentle melody of her laughter echoing through the surrounding area. However, she did not stop. She simply rose from her crouched position and started to walk away.

"Wait!" I called again, determined not to let her escape me again. I tried to get up but my limbs felt too heavy, like I was wearing a suit of lead.

He voice floated back to me from somewhere I could not see. "You need to try harder, Edward."

I used all the strength I possessed to haul myself to my feet. Once I was standing I looked around, hoping to see where Bella had gone.

I couldn't see her anywhere.

A soft breeze passed by my ear, carrying with it the words, "Over here."

I spun around quickly, becoming disoriented by the sudden dissolution of the heavy feeling in my limbs. She was not twelve feet from where I was standing, brushing her hands over the top of the flower petals as they peaked their heads out of the sea deep green.

"Why did you leave?" I asked trying to move towards her.

She didn't answer; she simply kept sweeping her hands over the foliage and smiling sweetly at me. Then once again she started to move away, as always leaving me with no answers to my burning questions.

"No!" I yelled, but it only came out as a warped sort of gargling sound as I watched her walk away from me again.

I tried to bridge the gap between us but I couldn't catch her. No matter how fast I tried to run, she just kept slipping away from me, taking her book with her. Her long auburn hair and soft blue dress flying behind her in a whirl of wind that seemed to only surround her. The air around me was stagnant and thick, like I was trying to move through honey.

I tried to call out to her but I couldn't project my voice.

She turned her head to face me and winked. Her luscious red lips turned up into a smile.

"Come back." I attempted to call out again.

All I got in return was the sound of another quiet peel of laughter as she turned around and moved off into a grove of trees I had not seen before.

_No!_ I tried to run after her but I kept getting turned around. It was as if I was in a room of mirrors, unable to find my way out. She would appear behind one tree and as soon as I moved forward she would disappear and reappear behind another.

"Edward." She kept chanting my name, over and over again. The whole world seemed to be spinning around me and I couldn't stop it.

I couldn't reach her.

She was as unattainable as ever.

Always one step ahead of me.

"Edward," Now her voice was different, warped somehow. It wasn't the sweet melody I was used to. It seemed to have a rough edge to it.

"Edward?"

I was woken, quite suddenly, when my body hit the floor. I was back in the library again. Now lying on the floor next to my desk. Ben was standing over me with a huge smile on his face.

"Having fun?" He joked.

I pulled myself off the floor. "Yeah... Great," I mumbled. "What time is it?" I used one hand to rub my tired eyes while the other patted down my pockets looking for my phone.

"It's one in the morning. I figured, since you weren't at home, you'd be here. Studying hard I see." He laughed again.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep." I groaned, swiping my books into my bag.

"You need to start sleeping more, Ed." Ben told me, shaking his head. "There's no use in staying up all night studying if you're too out of it the next day. Live a little."

"I'll remember that for next time." I grumbled as we walked to the main entrance of the library.

"So who is Bella?" He waggled his eyebrows at me a he said her name.

"No one." I mumbled.

"Well she sounded like a someone to me when I found you."

"Shut up."

"No seriously, who is she?" All traces of teasing were gone from his voice. "As far as I know your mopey ass has only left the apartment for work and class, and if you're not at home you're in the library. When have you had time to meet a girl?"

"I made time." Was my short answer. We were now walking through the park on our way home and I found my eyes immediately drawn to the base of the big oak tree. It was now a reflex action every time I passed by. Even this late in the evening, or should I say early in the morning, I felt compelled to look for her.

This was turning into an unhealthy obsession. A girl shouldn't have this strong a hold on me.

But I was powerless to resist her.

"Will I ever get to meet this mystery girl?" Ben asked as we trudged up the steps to our apartment. Curse that blasted, malfunctioning elevator.

"If I even find her." I mumbled, searching for my keys to open the door. As soon as we made it inside Ben went over to the fridge and pulled out two beers. He held one out to me, talking a long pull from his own.

"Start talking." Was all he said.

The next half hour consisted of me pouring my pathetic, love-sick heart out as I nursed my beer.

"Well Edward, it would seem that you need to find this girl. Partly because I can't stand you moping around anymore and partly because I've never heard you talk that way about anyone... ever. And I have known you forever."

"Thanks Ben." I answered trying not to sound offended by his comment.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," he said, punching my shoulder. "I just meant that it's nice to see you interested in something other than course work for once."

I rolled my eyes at him before draining the rest of my beer and hauling myself off the couch. "Well that's great and all Ben but I only know her first name and I have no idea how to find her."

"But I have a secret weapon." He joked, tossing his beer bottle into the trash.

"A secret weapon?"

"Yes." He held up his phone showing me a photo of Angela. "You see for some unknown reason women seem to be able to find out everything about everything. And they also seem to know other girls who know other girls who may just know _your_ girl."

"Well just make sure when you initiate this phone tree, or whatever you're doing, you wait until a more appropriate hour." I told him as I yawned loudly. "I may not know much about women, but I do know that they don't like to be woken at two o'clock." From the look on Ben's face I could tell he hadn't considered the time at all.

"Good point. Okay, but first thing tomorrow we are going to find your girl."

"Whatever you say, Benny boy." I yawned again. It wasn't that I didn't want to see Bella again, on the contrary I was desperate to see her again, but I wasn't convinced that it would be so easy to find her.

"Oh ye of little faith."

"Goodnight Ben." I called out, shutting my bedroom door with a little more force than I intended.

_Don't get your hopes up Edward._ I told myself as I flopped down on my bed._ There's no guarantee that they will find her._

_**~TGWTB~**_

Ben had kept his promise and called Angela as soon as he got up and she was only too happy to help. So I woke up to some very loud, woodpecker-esque knocking at my bedroom door. Apparently Angela was just as excited that I'd found a girl, so she practically dragged me over to the couch, thrust a coffee into my hand and told me to start talking.

Almost as soon as the last love-sick word about Bella was out of my mouth, Angela leapt out of her seat. It took her all of ten seconds to grab her coat, kiss Ben on the cheek and bolt out the door.

"Secret weapon, huh?" I asked Ben as I started raiding the cupboards for something edible. I seriously had to start shopping more regularly. Ben just ignored me and stumbled his way into the bathroom.

Five hours, three coffees and one surprisingly easy Anatomy exam later and I was back under the tree. Waiting, hoping to see Bella again. Time passed, in much the same way as it did on Friday, with me flipping aimlessly through Bella's book and trying not to think of how pathetic I must looks to the people passing by. Occasionally I would stop flipping and read a page or two of the book, but I was certain that reading page 207, then 5, then 185 and so one, was definitely not going to help me understand the story. Eventually I just gave up and pulled my Biochemistry notes out of my bag and started reading.

"Hello Edward." I heard a soft soprano voice whisper from behind my right shoulder.

I yelped in fright, scattering my notes everywhere. _Serve you right for writing them on loose-leaf paper._ Ah! The voice was back again.

"I'm sorry. I thought you knew I was there." She apologized as she started gathering up my notes. "Was there some kind of order? Do you want me to help you sort them? I really didn't mean to-"

_Oh my goodness,_ I thought, _She's here, she's here. Okay Edward, stay calm. Don't freak out. _A nervous sort of laugh escaped me. _Control yourself, Edward!_

I suddenly realized I'd stopped paying attention to what Bella was saying and she was still scrambling around collecting my papers. "Calm down, Bella, they're just notes." I was laughing in earnest now.

"Don't worry about them." I insisted as she sifted through them trying to discern a type of order. She started worrying her bottom lip with her teeth; and making the most adorable, probably unintentional, pouting face I'd ever seen.

I could barely make heads or tails of my notes while I was organizing them last night, so I never expected her to sort them for me. It would seem she had other ideas since she was trying to read my notes and was getting more and more distressed by the second.

"I would really like to help. It is my fault after all." She pleaded with me.

I pulled the papers out of her hands and stuffed them unceremoniously into my bag. "It's fine. I'll sort them later. How are you? Where have you been? Are you okay?" The questions poured out of my mouth and I was powerless to stop them.

_Way to not sound obsessive or anything, Edward._ I wanted to reach inside my skull and strangle that voice.

"I... Uh..." It was like some strange kind of role-reversal. "I'm... uh... pretty good. I've been around. And yes I'm fine." She answered slowly.

"You've been 'around'?" I asked putting particular emphasis on the last word.

"Well... I... I wanted to see if you were for real. So I... Oh god, this is embarrassing." She buried her face in her hands to hide the blush that was seeping into her cheeks.

"So you what?" I prompted. "There's no need to be embarrassed, Bella."

An incoherent noise drifted through the hands covering her face.

"Bella, please look at me." I pleaded.

She slowly lifted her head but it took a few minutes for her to look up and meet my eye. "I watched you. I sat in my truck and watched you waiting here for me. I'm sorry I didn't come over but I just didn't know if you were playing some kind of joke one me or if you were serious."

_Yep, definitely role-reversal._

"Oh...WOW..." Was all I managed.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just that, you were so nice and you're really smart, not to mention good looking. Guys like you just don't go for girls like me. I wanted to make sure."

And my ego shot up another few points.

"Well Bella, I'm not sure if this is a good thing for you or a bad thing, but I'm here and I'm for real. I would also like to say that I'm sure there are hundreds, no make that thousands if guys much nicer, better looking and smarter than me, who would kill to be in my position." She raised one of her delicate eyebrows at me.

"Okay well maybe not smarter." I joked causing her to burst out laughing.

"You're funny too." She giggled.

"I also have something that belongs to you." I announced as I picked up the book and handed it to her.

She let out a high pitched squeal and threw her arms around me. "Thought I'd lost it. It's my favourite book; my mother bought this for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you." After she calmed down a little she realized what she was doing and let me go, much to my displeasure.

"You're welcome."

"How I can repay you for this." She whispered.

_Do it Edward. Do it now, before she walks away again._ The voice demanded.

"Would you consider getting a cup of coffee with me?" I was tempted to just shut my eyes really tight and wait for her response but I stopped myself and managed to keep eye contact.

Her answering smile was blinding. "I'd love to."

Inside I was doing the worlds dorkiest 'happy dance' but on the outside I managed to reign it in to just a huge smile. "Great."

My phone beeped in my pocket and I pulled it out to find a new message from Angela: **You're welcome! xo**


End file.
